How to Care for Tulips: 5 Simple Steps for Success

June 6, 2018

Spring is here, and the best way to accessorize your home is with a beautiful Bouq of tulips. Not only are tulips a signature stamp of the spring season, but they also brighten up and draw more attention to any room. These traditional spring flowers are as beautiful as they are sweet, and if maintained properly, they will stay strong and vibrant for up to 10 days after being clipped. Here’s how to care for tulips in the comfort of your own home.

1. Keep The Cut Ends Wrapped In A Moist Towel

Freshly cut tulip care starts the moment they leave the enriched soil they called home. To maximize the strength of your tulips, wrap the cut stalk ends in a moist paper towel while searching for an appropriate vase. Cut one-fourth inch off the ends of the stalks at a forty-five-degree angle before transferring them to a vase. This will help the tulips soak up more water once they are forever set in their vase as well as keep them from prematurely wilting

2. Find Your Tulip’s Forever Home in A Beautiful Vase

Picking out a vase for your Bouq of tulips may seem like a simple task, but it requires a bit more thought than just pulling one out of the cabinet. The perfect sized vase for caring for tulips is about half the height of the flowers themselves. This will give you the perfect amount of space for water as well as keep the tulip stalks strong and healthy. As tulips age, their stems start to bend to the side, but a properly sized vase will help keep them straight and strong for as long as possible. Some tulips are known to still grow after being cut, so a tall vase will accommodate them well. We recommend an elegantly simple vase, to not take away from the beauty of the vivacious tulips themselves.

3. Proper Care For Tulips Means Cold Crisp Water

Tulips love water, and choosing the right kind of water will make all the difference in the look and lifespan of these beautiful flowers. Always fill the vase three-fourths full with cold fresh water. Warm water will quicken the tulip’s wilting pace, and you will see them start to prematurely droop. We recommend changing the water every other day to fully care for your tulips. In addition to fresh cold water, you can also help keep your tulips strong by mixing in flower food, lemon juice, half a teaspoon of regular cane sugar, or dropping a penny into the vase.

4. Avoid Direct Sunlight To Maximize Your Tulip Care

Tulips are not a fan of the heat and should not be placed directly in front of a window. They open and bloom with direct sunlight so keeping them away from this heat will prevent premature wilting. Tulips do not have a long lifespan after they are open, so keeping them out of direct sunlight will keep them strong and healthy. The stems may grow and bend toward the sunlight, but this is natural for this flower, and many others.

5. Pick Complementing Flower Arrangements

Although tulips are beautiful on their own, you may want to purchase a Bouq that includes a variety of flowers. If you make your own arrangement, it is important to be mindful about which flowers are toxic to tulips. Daffodils and narcissus will wilt and cut down the lifespan of your beautiful tulips so keep them out of the same vase. The best complimenting flowers to add are hydrangea, roses, and kale.

Start Caring For Your Tulips

Now that you know how to care for tulips, you can get into the spring spirit by ordering one of our beautiful tulip Bouqs. At Bouqs.com, we offer tulip Bouqs that focus only on tulips, or tulip Bouqs that are mixed in with complementary flowers. No matter which design you choose, your tulip bouquet is sure to last for days, even weeks, with the proper care.